


Call Your Girlfriend

by simply_gorgeous



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Identity Reveal, Somuchangst, a better alternative to song fics, abatsf, yesitwasnecessary
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-04
Updated: 2019-11-04
Packaged: 2021-01-22 15:38:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21304475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/simply_gorgeous/pseuds/simply_gorgeous
Summary: Adrien is a lost dream for Marinette, and Chat decides it's time to move on from Ladybug. Even after finding solace in each other, the past still haunts. What haunts can hurt, and Marinette and Chat both know it's time to let old things die. (Set before the last few episodes because it was written a while ago. Oops.)
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 12
Kudos: 119





	Call Your Girlfriend

**Author's Note:**

> This is a story whose inspiration came from one of those songs that's only great when you've heard it like five times through. You feel me? Also, why is the trope that Chat ruins things by running away, and why do I participate in it? Yes, I did quote Star Wars in the summery, and I am unashamed. 
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug or any of its characters or concepts. This was not beta read so constructive criticism is welcome. It's not as good as it could be, but I knew if I didn't post it now, it would forever remain unseen, and then how could I grow? So please forgive the many errors. 
> 
> Also, it’s angsty and dramatic. I can’t stop doing it to this couple. Sue me.

* * *

A night breeze whispered through the window and filled Marinette's bedroom with fresh spring air. It wrapped itself around the chair in front of a computer before swirling away, drawing a sigh from the girl seated there. Beside her a stack of pictures laid face-down, tear stains allowing images of a handsome man with blonde hair to bleed through. The computer hummed and mouse clicked as pictures, videos, subscriptions, and Pinterest boards were deleted.

It was the spring after their final year of lycée, and Marinette had finally confessed to Adrien Agreste, the boy she had given her heart to years ago on a rainy day beneath a black umbrella. She had told him the second to last day of school. He turned her down. He had been the perfect gentleman about it, kindly explaining that he was already in love with someone else like he had mentioned before, but that he valued her friendship and wanted it to continue.

Marinette could not have imagined a better way to let someone down, but as she dropped his pictures into the trash on her way to bed her heart reminded her to grab the tissue box. It would be another night she cried herself to sleep. For despite many months passing since the event, the truth still stood that the heart was never meant to be broken.

Tikki cuddled close, nuzzling her charge's cheek and crying along with her. The room smelled of sweet pastries and night air tinged with salt, and the computer shut off as it finalized its task of deleting the selected files leaving the room in the hallow shades of night. Had there been a moon, a shadow would have passed by her window as a certain feline swung by her house and landed on the balcony above. Green eyes gifted with night vision stared in surprise and sorrow at the young woman below who was drifting through restless sleep with wet cheeks.

Chat Noir wondered what had caused his princess to cry and vowed to be a better friend to her both in and out of the mask.

* * *

"Call your girlfriend."

Chat Noir turned his head toward the blue-eyed beauty who had come to own his heart—a large part of it, at least—and sighed. 

They had been discussing this for a while now. 

For the past two years, he and Marinette had been spending considerable amounts of time with each other as they both happened to be attending college in Paris. Well, she was attending college in Paris. He was still modeling, of course, but his father had surprised him by insisting that he learn how to run the company so that he could one day inherit it. He had initially hated the idea because it was just another part of his life that was more his father's than his own.

But he was more future minded now, and the desire to be with her forever birthed imagination, and he changed his mind. The life he could provide as his father's successor would be a dream come true for Marinette, he knew, and once the thought had crossed his mind, his whole perspective changed. 

In fact, this amazing girl had filled nearly every part of his life with joy and made it bright in a way it hadn't been since his mother was with him. She was so passionate about fashion and modeling that her vivacity had overridden the negative connotation they had. She gave him the opportunity to look at the things he did on a regular basis in a new light. She had set him free from the bitterness the resentment he had toward his father by painting over it with her colorful designs and honest smiles. He found that he actually enjoyed modeling if he was given a voice in the shoots. He really didn't hate the fashion shows or the fans if there was a woman to love and anchor him to reality. He liked, dare he say, his father's world if he was allowed to make it his.

"It's time you had the talk."

Of course, she didn't know any of this. Marinette was just genuine and open and beautiful, and if he had not been lucky enough to know her as Chat Noir, he would perhaps never have been free of his father's chains.

Long ago, back when they were still in lycée, she had admitted to having a crush on him, Adrien, and he had rejected her. Since then, things had been slightly strained between them, and it changed their future together. They had grown apart as they stepped into the real world and no longer saw each other every day. He would never have had the chance to know her as he did if he were only Adrien.

"Give your reasons. Say it's not her fault."

He moved to stand beside her and put his arms around her waist, leaning his face against her shoulder. She was talking about Ladybug though she didn't know it. He had told Marinette he wanted a relationship with her but let her know upfront that there was another girl who his heart had belonged to for years. She was understanding to a point he found odd. She should have been hurt or angry or confused. But instead she had told him to choose who his heart would be loyal to and stand by it. When he chose her, he knew it was the right decision. But his heart was in pain, so he had asked her for advice on how to let the other girl know.

"Tell her not to not to get upset, second guessing everything you've said and done."

She lifted her hands to his face and traced his mask with her slender fingers. Thumb brushed over eyebrow, smoothing it through the black material, and he began purring—something he knew brought her comfort as much as it did him. Holding this woman in his arms dimmed all the regrets he carried and calmed his anxieties. 

Her eyes shone bright with something other than happiness as she gazed at him and continued.

"And when she get upset, tell her that you never meant to hurt no one..." 

His ring beeped singling Plagg was hungry. He leaned down and kissed her cheek in farewell and disappeared into the night.

He loved her.

But he still loved Ladybug too, and he was already grieving the conversation he would have with her soon.

* * *

As she lost sight of her precious kitty, Marinette let the tears fall as she was taken back, surrounded by all the pain she had suffered three years ago. She closed her eyes and gave advice Chat wasn't there to hear.

"You just tell her that the only way her heart will mend is when she learns to love again." She choked on her own memories and collapsed on her deck chair, head in her hands. "But it won't make sense right now, but you're still her friend."

She sniffed and held out her hand for Tikki to rest on. The little god's antennae drooped as she sensed the pain of the person dearest to her. She entreated with big doe-like eyes for Marinette to head back inside and go to bed.

"And then you let her down easy."

* * *

_"Adrien, Adrien! Um, hey."_

__

_The shy, stuttering teenage girl fiddled with the strap of her purse as she steeled herself to do what she had been trying to do for ages_.

__

_"Oh, hi, Marinette. How are you?" The golden-haired boy asked._

__

_"Gery vood! I mean, very wood–well! ...I'm okay."_

__

_The sun came out with his smile. Everything would be alright._

__

_"I, um, I need to tell you something."_

__

_"Sure."_

__

_"It's kinda...hard for me to say."_

__

_"Oh," Adrien looked concerned. "Should we go somewhere else?"_

__

_Everyone had cleared out of the hall by now and were on their way home, leaving the two of them alone._

__

_"No, no. This is fine," she assured. "Listen, I... I really like you."_

__

_There. She'd said it. Alya would be so proud._

__

_The boy in front of her smiled again, eyes closing in happy crescents as he put his hand on her shoulder._

__

_"Thank you, Marinette, that means a lot. I like you too."_

__

_"I mean..."_

__

_He didn't get it. This was so hard. The blunette struggled with words in her head, desperate to follow this through._

__

_"I have a crush on you. That kind of like."_

__

_They stood there, Marinette a bundle of nerves–relief from finally getting it out, fear of being rejected, hope that he might feel the same way–Adrien in shock, a million emotions flitting across his face._

__

_Embarrassment_

__

_Happiness_

__

_Helplessness_

__

_Pity_

__

_Sorrow_

__

_Regret_

__

_Concern_

__

_Concern was the one he chose to wear as his lips stretched into a sad smile._

__

_"Marinette, I—"_

__

_"It's okay!" She cried, waving her hands in front of her at seeing the same emotion in him for the second time in the space of one conversation. She wanted nothing more than to run as fast and as far as she could and cry every piece of her broken heart into her hands so she could maybe piece it back together. "It's fine, and I—"_

__

_He grabbed her hands and pulled them to his chest, effectively silencing her because his touch still made her head spin._

__

_"No, Marinette, let me say this."_

__

_Her chin dropped when he tried to find her eyes, and he sighed._

__

_"You are one of my first friends. I treasure your friendship, and I don't want anything to happen to that. You were so brave to tell me, and I admire that. I meant it when I said you are an everyday Ladybug. But you and I couldn't, we would never..."_

__

_He found her gaze._

__

_"I'm in love with another girl. I'm sorry. It's not your fault, Marinette."_

__

_The tears fell, and she was unable to hide the sniffing. He shook his head and gathered her to him, strong arms going around her, hand pressing her head into his chest._

__

_"Don't get upset. Please, Marinette," he whispered into her hair. "Please don't start overthinking things. I never meant to lead you on, and you've always been special to me."_

__

_Marinette couldn't do anything but cry against him. Sobs racked her body, and she raised her fists to pound lightly at his chest with what little strength she had. He just held her and took it, his own tears dropping into her hair._

__

_"I never meant to hurt you."_

__

_She knew this. He was utterly incapable of intentionally hurting anyone, but he was in the perfect position to unintentionally hurt her._

__

_His fingers were smoothing over her hair, and he led her to sit against the wall with her in his lap._

__

_"You'll heal, Marinette. You'll learn how to fall in love again with someone much more deserving than me. I know it's hard to believe right now but trust me. You know I'll always be your friend, right?"_

__

_She nodded, wiping her nose on her sleeve._

__

_"Good."_

__

_"Thank you, Adrien," she mumbled, barely getting the words out at all._

__

_They sat there for a few moments while Marinette tried to calm herself down enough to go home before addressing her pain. Adrien leaned back and tilted his head up to the ceiling with a small smile gracing his lips._

__

_"This girl...there’s just something about her…like she makes me complete where I didn’t know a piece was missing. My whole world is different because of her. She," he shook his head in wonder, "she makes me a better person. Gives me another life."_

__

_It was supposed to be a compliment. And gazing up at him, Marinette could see how he had lost the sense of time and place in the recollection of this girl. He really loved her. She knew what that was like, and she wanted him to be happy. It was clear he was._

__

_Why did that hurt more?_

__

_Adrien rose with Marinette in his arms before lowering her gently to the floor._

__

_"Please don't say anything," she requested, holding up a hand as if the action could prevent it. "I need some time."_

__

_He may have nodded in acquiesce; she didn't know because she was walking away from him, turning the corner, and bolting down the hall to the nearest exit._

__

_Tourists and shop owners gave the poor girl confused and sympathetic glances as she made it in record time home. Tom and Sabine heard the back door open and called back to inquire how their daughter's day had gone. A choked gasp was their only response, and the next few months saw an increase in their family's chocolate and ice cream consumption._

__

_"Oh, Tikki! Tikki!"_

* * *

"Tikki!" Marinette screamed, going upright abruptly. 

She sat in her bed, muted sounds of the city night life in the city below bringing her out of her daze. Her curtains hung perfectly, indicating closed windows. There were no screams coming from below, so no akuma. The skylight above her showcased a clear sky blinking with stars. 

"Marinette? Marinette, are you alright?" Tikki demanded, eyes bleary and panicky. "What happened?"

What did happen?

The dream came rushing back in full force and all the jumbled emotions with it. Marinette brought her kwami close to her, leaning back against her cat pillow and whimpered.

"Just a dream, Tikki. It was just a dream."

But her voice was shaky and no more convincing than the crystal droplets leaking from the young woman's eyes.

"A dream? You mean _the_ dream?"

Marinette nodded.

Unlike most of her dreams that were completely warped and drew from fantasy and reality alike, the memory of Adrien's rejection haunted her in perfect replay. It was as if her brain had made a special recording and put it in a vault, so she was unable to forget. And Marinette's words of comfort went unfelt by either party. 

It wasn't just a dream.

* * *

"Call your girlfriend. It's time you had the talk."

It was a night with a nearly full moon. They were on her balcony again lying next to each other on the deck chair, legs tangling as she turned to face him and prop herself up on her elbow. His left arm was beneath his head, and his eyes reflected the pinks and oranges of the miniature paper lanterns strung above.

Those beautiful emerald orbs flicked to hers and held. 

A wave of pain washed over her, and she wanted to kiss him. Wanted to bury herself in him—in comfort—and erase the memories that haunted her. Wanted to pretend she wasn't helping him create the same memories in someone else.

"Give your reasons. Say it's not her fault."

_"I'm in love with another girl. I'm sorry. It's not your fault, Marinette."_

"Don't you tell her that I give you something that you never even knew you missed."

Marinette had thought Adrien handled the situation perfectly. He was caring, considerate, and sympathetic. Looking back, she could identify a way to spare Chat's girl a piece of her peace of mind. 

_"She makes me complete…gives me another life."_

_I never needed to know that..._

She reached over and pulled his mouth to hers. Fire erupted everywhere they touched, butterflies found spring in her chest, heat pooled in her stomach. As always. She broke away, out of breath. His full attention was on her, and she knew this affected him as much as it had affected her. 

"Don't you even try to explain how it's so different when we kiss."

He had once told her at her request about the physical side of his relationship with this other girl. And though she found his answers strange, she knew better than to mistrust her kitty. He was many things, but never a liar. He had kissed this girl twice, and according to him he didn't remember either. She wasn't quite sure how that worked since apparently, they were his first two kisses, but at least she knew he enjoyed her kisses more.

She placed a hand over his heart.

"Yeah, you just tell her that the only way her heart will mend is when she learns to love again," she brought their foreheads together and hurt for the other girl. "But it won't make sense right now, but you're still her friend."

It was so hard. Learning to love again.

"And then you let her down easy."

Her hand was on his neck, index finger riding the trail of bone into his hairline.

"Princess."

"Chat."

He picked her up and placed her in his lap, rearranging them so that they were now more upright. 

"How did you come across this advice you give? Or are you an all-knowing goddess?"

He was trying to lighten the atmosphere, but her reply was as serious as it was simple.

"I know because I was rejected once."

``````````````````````````````

He wanted to cringe because he had rejected her. As Adrien. And she said "once," so he knew he was the only one stupid enough to have done so. But that was when he had loved Ladybug, and at the time he was being true to his heart. 

That was all anyone could ever do.

He knew she had once loved someone, too. Since the beginning of their friendship they had established a policy of openness and honesty which continued to serve them well as things between them had become increasingly romantic.

He didn't know who it was she had loved and why it hadn't worked out, and he hadn't asked. He had made it clear he couldn't disclose the other girl's identity; not now, not ever, and she had accepted that even though it flew in the face of their agreement. So, there had come to be some sort of unspoken understanding between them that past relationships were relevant to them in the way it affected them, not who the people involved happened to be.

``````````````````````````````

She didn't know whose heart she was giving him the means to break. He was a superhero, and she knew all about keeping secrets. She admired him for wanting to protect the people in his life. She was also aware that this girl wasn't Chat Noir's girlfriend though that was how she referred to her. But whoever it was, she was entirely blind. Chat would sometimes mention how he had tried to get this girl's attention for years, and that she never responded. Marinette couldn’t fathom Chat not eventually wooing anyone, so she was convinced that the girl did return his affections but was too oblivious or scared to realize his advances. 

When she had shared this opinion with him Chat had stared at her for several minutes before slowly tilting his head to the side in his cat-like way. 

* * *

"Chat?"

No response.

It was as if after processing the proposed possibility and inserting it into his memories, it was dawning on him that his feelings may not have been unrequited. They may not _be_ unrequited. And that scared her because neither her nor Chat were cheaters or two-timers. It had to be one or the other, and she didn't want to be alone again.

"Mon chaton," she prompted, resting her hands on his shoulders, "you are going to need to choose. I know feelings are involved, but ultimately, you must be ruled by your mind. Feelings are fickle and fleeting. We know you can love her. You are—I hope you are capable of loving me—so you—"

She was cut off with a fierce kiss that left her seeing stars. When his tongue licked at her lips, however, she pushed against him, knowing he may not be hers much longer which made her unable to withstand his attentions.

But, miraculous, did she want to kiss him.

"You have to choose who your heart is going to be loyal to and stand by it. I don't expect you to choose now, but I think I ought to tell you while I can that I," she gazed up at him and knew her heart couldn't survive losing him, "I love you. I love you, and if you choose her, I will accept that. And I will...I'll—"

"No," he rasped, kissing away her tears. "I won't leave you. I'm not a man to repeat mistakes and I. Love. You." 

His kisses trailed across her jawline and down her throat.

"She had her chance, and I had my chances too. But then I met you, and there isn't anything that could take me away."

* * *

"Call your girlfriend."

It had been two weeks since Chat Noir had visited her balcony and she repeated the words. She knew he would. But he was struggling, and she could plainly see it. It hurt that he loved this girl so much, but Adrien still hurt her, and she knew Chat had every right to feel regret.

"It's time you had the talk."

He knew. But it didn't make it any easier. He was going to do it tonight when he and Ladybug finished patrol. He had called Marinette and asked to come over earlier than usual. She had agreed, so he had sped over to find the solace and strength he would need for the impending conversation. He had loved Ladybug so long...so long. It was hard to give it up.

"Give your reasons, say it's not her fault."

He was perched on her railing while she stood next to him, gazing almost listlessly at the Notre-Dame. He hated the fact that her heart was still healing from whoever had broken it. She always had this far-away hollowness in her eyes when they had this conversation. It was as if she was going back in time and reliving her experience, drawing from it to advise him. She sincerely cared for this girl she had never met and didn't want her to get hurt. 

The blue-eyed designer tilted her head toward him with a smile that grew in warmth until her entire being was as radiant as the sun that had long since set.

"And now, it's gonna be me and you."

Her smile spread to his face, and he saw a future with Marinette; a future Marinette with a ring on her hand.

But he was getting ahead of himself.

* * *

"Ladybug, I need to talk with you after patrol before you go home."

"Sure, Chat."

Was her smile always so welcoming?

Patrol was uneventful as Paris was at peace. The same could not be said for Chat Noir. His head swarmed with guilt and trepidation. How could he let his Lady down? He knew firsthand that it would be impossible for them to go back to the same carefree friendship they had once this conversation had taken place. His experience with Marinette as Adrien had taught him that well.

Both superheroes landed near the top of the Eiffel Tower, and Ladybug sat down, dangling her legs off the side and patting the space next to her. Chat instead sat down where he was, back pressed against metal, and hugged his knees to his chest. 

This was going to hurt. Both of them.

``````````````````````````````

Ladybug sighed. She didn't know what was troubling Chat. As far as she knew, the only thing heavy on his mind was the issue with his "girlfriend," but she knew that as Marinette and couldn't bring it up. She supposed it could be something else as well, but she hoped not. She liked to think her partner trusted her civilian self as much as her alternate identity.

"Chaton?"

His green eyes snapped to her, and he looked raw.

"Ladybug, I know I've been pretty heavy-handed in the area of flirting—"

"Pff! Have you ever!"

He pinned her with a glare.

"Okay, okay," she surrendered, raising her hands. "Go on."

"And I don't know how seriously you took it, but the reason I flirted so much and was so eager to protect you and was so devoted to you in general was because I was in love with you."

She froze.

_What?_

"I would have been devoted anyway, but that's not the point. The point is you were right. It would be too dangerous for us to be involved, too compromising. We probably wouldn't be a good fit for each other," they both knew he didn't really believe that, "but the biggest reason is that I found someone."

Ladybug's mind was still reeling, replaying his words over and over in shock.

"It's not your fault. You're, you're perfect, bug. I just," he ran a hand through his hair, and her eyes saw Adrien Agreste doing the same motion, saying similar words, rendering her speechless at the memory. "I don't want you to second-guess everything I've said and done even though you have every right. It was all genuine. There was a lot that I... I know you're probably upset."

Was she?

She was the other girl? Just what?

"Hang on a second," she stated, forcing her mouth to obey her. "You mean to tell me that you loved me all those years?"

She ended up shouting, volume raising with disbelief and realization.

He muttered something under his breath that sounded something like, "she was right. You did get upset."

"All those stupid pick-up lines and ridiculous puns and joking gestures, they were real? And now you tell me you don't love Ladybug—me—anymore?"

She was getting confused again, mixing her selves, trying to keep them straight and determining whether she should be happy that he had loved her—all of her—or terrified that he didn't anymore.

"I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you."

Had she been in a stable frame of mind, she may have noticed and appreciated how closely he was following her previous suggestions.

"No, no, you didn't, well, you did, but..." She trailed off uncertainly.

She was suddenly gathered in a warm embrace so familiar she could detect the message of it. He was apologizing. And saying goodbye.

"I don't understand...if…"

Her brain was still doing loops, but she almost had it straight; the end of the tunnel was in sight.

"It's okay, My Lady. It's going to be okay. You’ll heal. You’ll find someone to love and forget this alley cat ever tried to claim your heart, but it won't make sense right now." He squeezed her tighter. "But I'm still your friend."

Then, finally, it clicked.

_Oh._

She broke away, laughing.

"Oh, Chat. Oh, my precious Chaton!" She was ecstatic. She was free at long last to do what she had been yearning to do for ages.

He was looking at her in alarm. 

"Tikki, spot—"

A hand was clapped over her mouth, preventing her from releasing her transformation.

"What do you think you're doing?" Chat hissed, claws digging slightly into her cheek in anger. "I just told you—don't you even respect me?" 

She pulled at his hand and had to use a surprising amount of strength to succeed in freeing herself. 

"I thought you wanted to know. I thought..."

What _did_ she think?

That he would want to have more of a connection with the person he was pushing away? She knew how hard that could be. He was trying to say goodbye to her. He just didn't realize how wrong he was.

"I don't want to know you! Ever! So, don't you dare take off that mask!"

_Where did that come from?_

He looked crazed, feral in his stature and a hatred about him she hadn't seen since Dark Cupid.

Then he was tearing away from the Eiffel Tower, away from her and into the night with tears streaking his face.

"Wait! Chat, hang on!" She screamed after him in fear to no avail. 

"CHAT NOIR!"

* * *

Adrien flew across the rooftops, lapping broad circles around Marinette's house. He wanted her, no. He needed her. He was having a mental breakdown. But how could he tell her he had snapped? 

He had failed. 

Ladybug had laughed—a beautiful sound—and then gone to release her transformation, and his dream of years past had been right there, and he realized he wasn't over her. Not completely, and that was entirely unfair to Marinette. Beautiful, pure, faithful Marinette who had helped him every step of the way during this process. 

He couldn't go to her with this. He'd have to tell her that the girl was Ladybug and that he still loved her. Sure, he'd chosen Marinette and hadn’t strayed from that decision. Yes, he had followed through on his resolution and prevented Ladybug from revealing her identity. But he knew Marinette, and she would crumble if she knew her competition was a superhero. Her one flaw had always been a lack of self-confidence. He had been the one to balance that out. He loved feeding her the truth about herself and affirming her and basked in her glowing (and often blushing) response.

He had followed her advice every step of the way until the last part. He hadn't let Ladybug down easy. No, he had yelled at her, scratched her, probably scared her, and then he had run away. 

He was a mess.

As he flew by the same flower shop for the fifth time, Adrien caught a glimpse of his reflection in the display window. And he was a mess. His hair was even more unruly than usual, his eyes held no light whatsoever, and his face was drawn into thin, hard lines.

He needed his Princess. She would understand. And even if she didn't, even if she turned him away, out on the street like a stray, the sight of her would calm him. So, he abruptly turned from the house in front of him, breaking his circular path and made a beeline for the balcony he knew and loved.

When he got there, the lights were off. Rarely were her paper lanterns turned off. In fact, the last time he remembered her rooftop being completely dark was years ago when he had found her crying in her sleep and had determined to be a better friend to her. 

He smiled as he approached her skylight. That determination had started it all…the relationship when they started falling in love. But the smile vanished when he reached the glass panel.

A young woman with dark blue hair was curled around a cat-themed body pillow sobbing hysterically. She was wearing the pink silk nightgown he had given her for her birthday last year, and his heart sank at the garbled words he could pick out with his enhanced hearing.

"He...rejected...love...hurts so bad...why would he...I... wish I'd have....knew all along...my heart...please make it stop..."

Adrien's blood boiled at whoever it was who broke Marinette's heart. If he was honest, some of his anger was directed at the girl herself. He didn't think so low of her that he could believe she was seeing someone else currently, so it had to be that her heart still belonged to the man who had previously broken it.

And while he knew he wasn't in his right mind, and he knew he couldn't blame her for falling victim to the same thing he did, it was one twist of the knife too far. 

So, although he had promised to contact her after he "called his girlfriend," he left her balcony and didn't return.

* * *

To say Marinette was depressed was an understatement. She spent most of her time in the bakery, making pastries and other sweet things for those whose lives were brightened by them. She didn't work behind the counter anymore. Her smile was on bed rest, and that wasn't exactly a customer draw.

Tikki worried at how much Marinette poured herself into work, baking and studying herself into exhaustion. She never designed anymore unless it was part of her homework, but the pieces she created were lifeless and communicated the deep sorrow their maker possessed. 

One of her professors commented on it, joking that he didn't know whether to suggest she work on a funeral or an umbrella line. The imperceptible paw print she had camouflaged into her previous designs became loud, pitiful cries, as they were sewn in bold greens, yellows, and blacks regardless of whether they matched the item or not.

She had taken to waiting up on her balcony long hours into the night in the hopes that he would return, often falling asleep on her feet, slumping down to the ground only to be awoken by her distressed kwami or the dew; whichever came first as her habits impressed exhaustion upon poor Tikki as well.

She woke suddenly one night crying out for Chat. She paused, clutching at her chest, and she could have sworn it throbbed with physical pain. She should know better than to expect pleasant dreams as the midst of misery was never known to be kind.

"Tikki," she murmured, "are you okay to transform?"

"Sure, Marinette. What are we doing?"

"I want to fall. I want to fall again. I love that feeling. Let's go to the Eiffel Tower."

The kwami was up and hovering in front of her face, thrumming in anxiety.

"Expound on that, please because it hints at suicide, and I will not allow that, Marinette."

Marinette smiled softly and shook her head, pulling the covers aside and moving to unlatch the skylight.

"No, Tikki, don't worry. I’m just sleep-logged and not verbalizing well.” She waited a moment with closed eyes, articulating in her head before opening her mouth. “I want to jump from the Eiffel Tower and transform mid-fall like we used to do at night when I needed to practice using my yo-yo. The rush of the magic like that..." She shivered. "Remember, Tikki?"

"Don’t tell me not to worry. I worry about you constantly these days. That does not sound like a good idea right now."

The polka-dotted creature followed her chosen up to the balcony.

"I promise, Tikki, solemnly promise, I will call for the transformation. I just really need a distraction. I'm serious, Tikki," she added for good measure. "I promise."

If the kwami hadn't been so in tune with her human, she never would have agreed. She could sense Marinette's sincerity and love of life beneath the desire to escape the pain, still very much alive. As it was, Tikki still thought it over, pacing back and forth through the air as she contemplated her options and possible outcomes.

Meanwhile, Marinette slowly approached her railing, the darkness of the night heightened by the absence of the light from the paper lanterns which had been left unlit since she had last seen Chat.

"Call your girlfriend...it's time you had the 'talk.' Give your reasons...say it's..." The words were prayed into the stillness as Marinette willed them to bring the memories to the surface as real as day. "Say it's not her fault. Tell her not to get upset second-guessing everything you've said and done."

She hugged her arms around herself, remembering the feeling of his.

"And when she get upset tell her that you never meant to hurt no one. Don't you tell her that I give you something that you never even knew you missed."

_He_ had given her things she didn’t know she missed. Naps on her deck chair, pouring tea and spilling it all over the table and each other, laughing until they were hoarse under thousands of stars, the feeling of falling in love.

The memories came in wisps, shimmering between the tears that distorted her vision.

"Don't you even try to explain how it's so different when we kiss."

Butterfly kisses, eyelashes fluttering across noses and cheeks. Small, adoring kisses peppered in hair, on closed eyelids, placed on hands while he bowed over said hand. Heated kisses promising passion, taking them in too deep and tempting boundaries.

"You just tell her that the only way her heart will mend is when she learns to love again," _so it never will,_ "but it won't make sense right now, but you're still her friend. And then...you let her down easy."

Marinette rubbed her hands up and down her arms and tilted her head up to admire the crescent moon. Or to keep the tears from falling so quickly.

"Call your girlfriend. It's time we had a talk. Give me reasons. Say it's not...my...fault."

Tikki flew up to her, nodding in signal that she was ready to go. 

"'Til now it was gonna be me and you." She heaved a sigh. "Tikki, spots on."

Ladybug landed on the highest part of the Eiffel Tower that had a flat platform and released her transformation. Nodding to her kwami who zipped into the purse Marinette wore, she started sprinting towards the edge. And jumped. 

The pure, uninhibited atmosphere wrapped around Marinette, and she closed her eyes, reveling in the sensation. It was beautiful, free, beyond the realm of time, an escape. 

She blinked her eyes to gain a sense of her height and began counting to five. 

_One_

She would have plenty of cushion time and she would be high enough to avoid giving Tikki a scare. 

_Two_

That way Tikki wouldn't be worried, and she could jump again. And again. 

_Three_

She parted her lips to begin the words on the next count as they would take a second to say. 

_Four..._

Something slammed into her with practiced ease, balancing her inertia with a change of direction and expertly securing her despite the amount of force with which she had been falling. 

Her eyes opened, and all she could see was black. 

But she knew well the feeling of leather beneath her fingers and the specific scent of night air, cologne, and slight tinge of cheese. She fisted her hand in the suit and let him carry her.

He changed direction several times, and she lost track of their location on her mental map. She knew they weren't at her house when he slowed. His labored breathing was not solely from physical exertion, she knew, and he kept her purposely pressed against him as he curled in on himself. She was quite familiar with the feeling of sneaking through a window, but her present position gave her a totally new perspective. 

After walking quite a distance considering they were inside a building now—a house from the clean, warm smell of it—she was gently laid on a bed, but a hand stayed over her eyes as he moved around. When it was lifted, she blearily took in her surroundings, eyes watering from the rush of air they had been exposed to.

Small, glittering fairy lights that provoked a distant memory of a conversation with Chat about decorations distinguishing between houses and homes wrapped around the poles and frame of the four-poster canopy bed she was lying on. Sitting up brought to her attention that it was also a huge bed—California king if not custom made—and that the canopy curtains had been drawn, enclosing her in a small, safe world with...

He was there. Right across from her with his head in his heads, still breathing heavier than she knew someone in his physical condition should be. She reached out and touched his forearm which caused him to jerk out of his position and hiss at her. 

Remembering the claws from last time, Marinette jumped back and out of reach curling into herself. He gazed at her, and she could practically feel the self-despising rolling off him in waves when he saw the fear in her eyes. 

"K—kitty?"

He just stared. 

She dared to approach him timidly. 

"Kitten."

He didn't even blink. She was practically in his lap now. 

"Whatssa matter, kitten?" She sang in a singsong lilt her mother used to use when she was a child.

With a growl, he pounced on her, throwing her into the mattress as he covered her body with his own. The growling continued, thrumming in his throat, but his actions soothed any trepidation teasing the edges of her mind when he nuzzled into the juncture between her shoulder and neck. 

"What," he ground out, and then it broke with a sob. "What were you doing jumping from the, why would you...Marinette," he cried rising to meet her eyes, "how could you do that? Why? Don't you know I can't live without you?"

The sheer desperation in his tone had her biting back a well-deserved "it seemed like you were doing quite well, thank you very much." It wasn't true at that. He didn't look well. 

He was pale with dark circles lining his eyes, his frame was much thinner than it had been two months ago, and he looked...he looked like her.

"_Miraculous,_ Marinette," he breathed, taking in her appearance, while she blushed in an embarrassment she had never felt in front of him, "what happened to you? Haven't you been eating?"

She let out a broken, breathy laugh devoid of any humor. 

"No, I haven't." She took his face in her hands. "Why do you think that is?"

"I'm sorry," his head hung, but she lifted it up, "I'm no good for you, Princess. I love you, but you deserve all my love."

His hands grasped her wrists, and his thumbs trailed up and down along the tender skin on the underside.

"It's alright, I know," she soothed.

He shook his head.

"No. You shouldn't settle. You should be with someone who can..." Defeated eyes pleaded with her. "I'm not strong enough to push you away, but you should be with someone much more deserving than me. I know you still love someone else too."

Marinette started crying.

"He said that same thing. That I could fall in love with someone more deserving, but he was deserving. You are deserving, Chat. I could never blame you for falling to the same number of Cupid's arrows that I have. And if you don't want me, I will try my best to respect that. Yes, I still love Adrien, but I love you more. I would choose you over him every time because I chose. And that doesn't mean the pain goes away. I don't know if the heart ever completely forgets."

Their future was hanging in a balance, weighed against emotions and uncertainty, but Marinette was going to fight for what she wanted.

"A––Adrien?"

"And, Chat?" She coaxed, smiling up at him, "you don't even have to choose. You can have Ladybug."

He was shaking his head, obviously wanting to know how she knew who the other girl was, but not wanting to lose her.

"Tikki, spots on."

Pink light erupted between them, and when her eyes opened Chat was staring at her in wide-eyed shock and adoration.

"My Lady? Princess?"

"Yes, silly kitty. It's me."

A long moment of suspended shock hung between them before he was hugging her and laughing in surprised elation and purring so powerfully her whole body vibrated from the force of it.

"Can I, can I show you who I am?"

She was ready. In fact, she didn't know why it had taken them this long to get to it. 

"Please, Chat."

Green shimmering sparkles replaced leather ears with blonde hair, black catsuit with designer clothes, and large-eyed mask with the face, older but still recognizable, of Adrien Agreste.

"No," she breathed.

He was watching her intensely. At her response his face fell, and he started apologizing.

"I was a fool to reject you all those years ago, Marinette, loving Ladybug or no. Knowing you as been the most incredible thing to happen to me, and walking away these past two months only goes to prove that I'm as much of a moron as I ever was."

The woman in his arms dropped her transformation, revealing tears falling down cheeks into a joyful smile. She lunged forward, pressing her lips to his insistently. He drank her in, having been starved of her kisses for far too long.

Laughter bubbled from between her lips as they kissed as he alternated kisses with rash but sincere promises.

"I swear, Marinette, it can never be anyone but you. It has never been anyone but you. I'm going to give you everything you never knew you wanted and a life you only ever dreamed of. I'm begging you to stay with me forever because you are my very breath. I'm going to marry you and make you forget I ever hurt you. Miraculous, Marinette, l love you."

They stayed there all night with the curtains drawn around them, enclosing them in a private world of bliss. 

* * *

The lanterns on Marinette's balcony were turned on the next evening and every night following. Tom and Sabine were given the opportunity to get to know Adrien quite well, and one day Adrien asked to speak with Tom privately while Sabine smiled slyly at her ignorant daughter. The next day there was a ring on Marinette's finger, and two best friends were flown back into the city to help plan a wedding.

**Author's Note:**

> *bites fingernails* Ahh! I know it wasn't quite ready, but I had to post it! The show seems like it’s getting a move on (finally!), so it had to go out now before it won’t fit with the cannon universe. That’s the problem with letting stories sit on the shelf too long…
> 
> I did leave out a line of the song because it didn't fit, and I just don't like the attitude behind it.
> 
> 'Til the next time, ma peeps! :)


End file.
